Discover Your True Self - You are Called, Part 1

Whether you know it or not you have a call. You may have not thought about exactly those words that God has a unique plan and purpose and is not a secret that you have the potential to make a difference in ways never imagine that Saturday statement welcome to this edition of living will be good Chip Ingram trips are Bible teacher international discipleship program friendship serious discover your true self. This program begins by suggesting that you pull out his notes reserves message structure was outline of all the extra help study along with them. Just click the broadcasts LivingontheEdge.org to fill in the notes on the what you're doing at all let you know that were coming down the last couple in the series. So if you missed any of them along the way chipping roadmap is a great way to catch up for listening bullets get going, she always enjoyed Chip Belfour's message, you are called Ephesians chapter 2 really like to start a little bit differently. If you would pull out your notes and go to the back page start at the very end and there's two missed beliefs there and I want to share these because these perhaps are the deepest missed beliefs that both myself and my wife has had in a season in our life. This believe number one is that I am not wanted or needed by anyone.

My life has no purpose or meaning I'm a victim of an unfair, uncaring world.

That brings me pain for 1/2 years before I met my wife she believe that with all of her heart. Many of you know her story. She came from a very difficult home life abandoned by an unbeliever who went someplace else with another woman that he been seeing for years so too little babies. No money broke in her heartbroken and she believe that in dangerous emotions and thoughts went through her mind that apart from those two little babies. She probably would've not stayed around.

She felt so hopeless. Some of you know what that feels like their scary thoughts. The second miss believe the significance and meaning come from success in life.

I will be happy someday when my relationships, career and finances reflect my success and accomplishments. Many people get very hopeless when after working for years and years and years and years. That doesn't happen in my case my upbringing actually helped in a few ways.

My Marine father and workaholic tendencies by 12.

I had very clear, written goals, I mean I was going to get a basketball scholarship can have great grades and I would date a very pretty girl and I graduated and I did all three and I sat at a party afterwards and a good friend turned to me and said you must be very happy and I had an experience that I never had my life because I'd already set the new set of goals and there was like a wave of emptiness in my soul that I thought know I'm not really happy at all.

I thought these things would bring it. It didn't. I had by that time drifted away from church questioned God and prayed a prayer on the way home God if you exist you better reveal yourself because life makes no sense. Why live likes meaningless. All the people I love will die before I die and accomplishing things is not what life's about the life's a crapshoot, and I think I said something little bit stronger, which probably was not very reverent if you open your nose to the front page now I want to talk about this dangerous emotions and how do you deal with those dangerous emotions. It's hard it's hard to give one emotion and I chose a word that it's kind of vague but I think you'll get it. The actual dictionary definition comes close its next angst is a feeling of deep anxiety but it's not worry its dread it but it's unfocused. It's hard to identify. It's the sense of frustration and apprehension with the general state of the world and your own future is just coming, look at all this political stuff. Look at all this racism. Look at all the suffering. Look at all this evil look at all the terrible things happening and what about me and you just often get very discouraged and then depressed but angst has some emotional cousins thoughts start going through your mind, meaninglessness, feeling like my life doesn't have any value or significance. That's where Teresa was no value is no use me being here thoughts like purposelessness out that an aim or goal or plan like this pointless, senseless, that was me. Why do this. And then there's times where you just get hopeless.

There's despair, despondency, and here's the core belief somehow you start thinking it'll never get better a happier day change is never going to happen and when you lose hope. That's when horrendous things happen in there happening like never before. I have a an article in my notes here from the CDC suicide across the board has skyrocketed in the last decade and they did a study to say is it education is at families and support. Why are people killing themselves in a secular study said it's the lack of religion and the lack of meaning that there is a God and there's something more than angst is real and by the way, lest you think this is about suicide. Every person has moments in dips I like to read the Psalms because David is a man after God's own heart and he's dancing in one song here and praising God and God is awesome and then he's down here in the Valley going why you forsaken me you just take me out and I'm so mad and I'm so discouraged he's clinically depressed, so all I want to say is this isn't about someone else out there if you never had one of these windows you will so what's God's antidote before you turn the page. Let me ask you the question that always ask in the series is what apart from Christ. Do you use to medicate more sedate your sense of angst. What you do when you feel like life is senseless what you do when you get discouraged and depressed. What you do when you just feel like hopeless to eat. Do you work more you drink prescription drugs, sex, what, what addictive behavior. Everyone deals with it neat guy first time here between services and had a book and is joining a group in the well this is your first time here and you joining the group. He said you said what things I never knew church before, but my wife and I came in as I listened I realized many look to because I'm an alcoholic but everything you talk about. I get and if there's help about that I wanted something to get involved, said Goodman. What years is he refusing to. We all have stuff. But if you identify yours if you'd be willing to be honest is privately with God, then the antidote is really going to make sense turn the page. What is God's antidote to angst, meaningless purposelessness. What you do with those feelings. When you feel absolutely insignificant and there is no hope.

Number one. Remember the hope of your calling circle the word hope, remember the hope of your calling and in chapter 1 verse 18 Paul prayed this says I pray that God would give you a spirit of wisdom and revelation into who he really is a true knowledge and an experiential intimate knowledge of him, and then the very next verse he says. I also pray this was a different word for no this fact. I pray that your eyes would be enlightened of your heart that you would know as a fact, the hope of his calling, and what he was really praying was what we just been learning what's the hope of your calling your chosen here accepted by God to matter what anyone says your adopted you have a father you redeemed your infinitely valuable you been purchased by the blood of Christ. Your sealed your amazingly secure by the Holy Spirit in your empowered the same power that raised Christ from the dead actually dwells in you. That's what it means to be called.

That's who you are. When God sees you.

He calls you, son.

He calls you daughter and all that is on your notes in that page that I just said it's true of you.

He wants you to see yourself as he dearly loved chosen valuable secure some of God, daughter of the most high God. And when you ponder that when you remember that it makes a big difference. This idea of being called is a little foreign I think 21st century Christians in soy if you definition here out of the theological dictionary call is one of the biblical words associated with our salvation Edwards got a hold you to himself, and you responded in faith in both Hebrew and Greek call can be used in a in a sense of naming in a biblical thought to give a name to someone bestows an identity would you put a box around identity.

Your identity is not your work. Your identity is not your looks, your identity is not your family, your identity is not your money.

It's not your ZIP Code. It's not what other people think God has called you, you have an identity son, daughter, beloved secure and notice it goes on when God is the one who bestows names the action is almost equivalent to creation and I give you passage there from Isaiah 40 it says where he calls the stars out one by one numbered God spoke and billions of stars and galaxies came out.

Guess what spoke he spoke to you and you turned in response and you said yes I do fall short. I'm not perfect. I need help I need forgiven and an empty hands of faith, he said, Lord Jesus come into my life and he did.

And just like he spoke creation. He spoke re-creation so that your new person. The old things are passed away. Now how do you experience that that's what the Christian life is all about so one you remember the hope of his calling. Second is to really ponder to reflect on the magnitude of your calling, would you put a box around magnitude I here's here's the me this is just for me.

I don't think we get it. I don't think we grasp what's really true of us. But as you do all those issues that we face that were challenged with all those ways that we respond that we know aren't healthy, but we keep doing they dissipate in our time together has what I want to do I'm gonna start low brief review and then from chapter 2 to the end of chapter 3. I'm gonna show you five specific ways that God has called you here's here's my goal. I want you to see them magnitude of what's true of you that you are called and I want to get to soak into your head and drip right down at your heart you will come home, number one, you are called into a new relationship. He chose you before the creation of the world to be holy and blameless in his sight. You are called not to religion you didn't get called to morality using get called to duty.

You can get called to come supposed to do this and supposed to do that you will call to our relationship. You were called into a relationship with Jesus.

A person a real person who walked on the earth for person who really cares about you and knows you and loves you on the very last night Jesus was at a vineyard, and he was preparing his disciples, he says, no longer do I call you slaves as a slave doesn't know what his master doing, but I've called you friends, because all the things a father has revealed to me.

I have made known unto you.

You do not choose me, but I chose you that you should go and bear fruit, and that your fruit you germane so that you can ask what ever you want and the father will give it to you. He is wasting his argument like this to him. God is my friend he called you to friendship, not weight, duty, guilt, stuff second, God calls us to a new purpose.

You are his workmanship right here his tapestry your his masterpiece. Your his unique all the people all the world there is no one like you. There's no DNA like yours. It's not just the physical DNA.

You are his masterpiece. He's created you exactly the way he wants you and he's created you to fulfill something that no one else can do it quite like you because no one else is you. But notice is not just who you are.

He created you to what to say. Do could works which he is prepared for you this is that a last minute thing he prepared from you from the foundations of the world that you should literally walk in them or live in the here's what I want to do in your notes on should write the word general and then under that that I want to write the word specific because you you you called to a general-purpose a new purpose of good works right.

You're called to love God and to love people. Jesus in that same moment, with his disciple said by this is my Father glorified, that you bear much fruit, and that your fruit should remain. What's the fruit. The fruit is your character as as as you allow Christ to live his life in you and through you. You become kinder, more loving, more patient list envious less arrogant, more generous, you begin to think and act and to speak more and more and more like Jesus.

His goal is to make you like it that's the fruit to love God and to love people and that's for everyone, so that your light so shine before men, that they want the glory.

Father God in heaven. They see your good works, they see how you live and that's general that's for all of us that he also has a specific good work you to walk. Imagine if you will. This colossal huge puzzle of the body of Christ all over the world and there's this piece of the puzzle that is you and at your gifts and your passions and your back on your history and your hurts and your struggles and even your failures at all those things are put in to make you unique you and you fit and you do something in a way that helps people in a way that no one else can quite like you I call it your holy ambition's very specific you pursuant God makes it clearer and clearer and clearer that Connie sagrada was going in the tech world for a lot of years. In 2008. She started a camp called Sam Camp S a.m. science art in math. She goes into the neediest neighborhoods in places where people in this area have never heard about God and she recruits these volunteers and friends and for a week.

They teach art and science and math and their parents are like yeah but they also teach God's word and they make it really, really fun and they do it for a full week and they do it at a cost with a never turn anyone away in her first year there's like you know hundred kids in the back of the parking lot will now hundreds of kids and then her holy ambition to help these kids and she just gets so excited is completely volunteer run and she said you know when I discovered that's what God wants me to do.

My heart leaps when I see kids we caught them. They never heard of Jesus. They never heard of the Holy Spirit that never ever opened the Bible and then I watch God work in their life and they want to tell their parents and my holy ambition is about teaching God's word in a way real life change really happens in salute Living on the Edge we created these family devotionals that they are like a three or four minute it's an actual little movie and it's for kids like five to about 15 and you show this movie and it will highlight either God's holiness or justice, or an attribute so she shows a video at all.

This is can we watch another one can watch another when can we watch that one again and what happened was God moved in ways like never before. I don't know.

I don't know what you think will make you happy. I will tell you this, when you discover your unique purpose and you begin to give your life away and he uses you in the spirit of God takes the grace of God through the PVC pipe of your just ordinary life and do something it changes people. I will tell you there's no drug like it. I do young galley between services, because I'm from San Diego so good to have you should know why I came up here just one got some business but I just came I came to go to church.

I said why and this is not true but understood what you meant. You saved my life you save my marriage.

And you say, my family and I had to look at you in the face.

I said, how did that happen. I've got that app I been listening for five years and you know what I don't know else can happen today. Here's what I can tell you I'm fulfillment. I can't kid me me just like this, like this, like, 28-year-old and struggling with relationship got to be a part. I know how works I got to be a part of it what there's not enough letters or zeros or portfolios or likes or schools to my kids to get in, or nice cars second homes or remodeled this that could ever compare that. Can I tell you something God called you to a relationship and then he called you to a new discovery pursuant one objects message, you are called series discover your true self, how to silence the lives of your past actually experience who God says your trip will be right back with his application, but before is I hope you'll take a second and go online or capture and encourage others to join us for the series 2 we all struggle with doubts about self worth and value, but the facts about who we are change when we put our faith in Jesus chips teaching from the book of Ephesians to help us understand who we are as believers in Christ, he explains the nature of the new creation. We become and how to leave old thinking and doubts in the past for limited time resources for discover your true self are discounted MP3s are always free to order your copy or to send it to a friend visit us on the law in that LivingontheEdge.org for additional information. Just give us a call at AAA 83336003 eligible a lot of us make resolutions for the new year, some to read the Bible regularly but only a few weeks have gone by, and a lot of those resolutions of already nosedived help us with a way to sustain that kind of commitment to not quit day that I would love to and let me say this, you know there's been a number of challenges in 2020 that came to the covert virus were certainly not completely out of it yet, but one of the greatest blessings that came out of all of last year was I found myself in a situation where I couldn't travel and an idea came to me and the idea was that had scores of people over the years, a chip which you disciple me me, would you mentor me, would you meet with me personally, the way that that bricklayer met with you and I thought to myself, well, I can't go anywhere and I got a couple cameras set up and I literally started meeting with just one person, always less than 10 minutes and I taught them how to study the Bible and we went right through some passages and I just shared from my heart.

It wasn't a big group but was in the teaching was in a Bible study. It was sitting down with one person and walking with them so they could learn how to meet God how to understand the Bible and how to build a pattern and a discipline that changed the course of my life and others, and all I can tell you. Are you ready last year, hundreds of thousands of people viewed those little studies and right now I'm taking people through Ephesians chapter 1, two and three to discover your true self and other words what I'm teaching right here. I walk through and about seven or eight minutes a day.

I give a tiny little hand out where I asked them to do about 10 minutes of thinking and praying and the results have been phenomenal. We did this in the fall of 2020 and I just cannot tell you the emails and the letters that I've received of you know what I've heard people talk about being connected to God. But now I'm doing it and I'm experiencing it daily discipleship with chip is a course of 10 minute videos were chip walks you through how to study a passage from the Bible and really hear God's voice of the sessions are designed to help you get into the practice of doing that every day. The study trips. Recommending is based on his current series discover your true self because you see yourself as God sees you, is an essential to overcoming your deepest struggles. Having healthy relationships living in freedom and fulfilling your life's purpose to find the daily discipleship with chip@livingontheedge.org on the homepage Listeners just tap discipleship as we wrap up today.

I am super excited about what we talked about and where were headed in our next broadcast. Remember the hope of your calling me. That is an amazing thought the fact that the God of the universe has accepted you once you loves. You have made you valuable secure incompetent. Can you imagine what would happen if people begin to see themselves that way and then realize that you are his masterpiece and that he has something for you to do a purpose, a calling that no one else can do quite like you, and it's part your personality and your family background in your spiritual gifts and in your passions and all those things wrapped up in the special package that God calls you that motivates you to want to do or help or take on some project that makes a difference. I actually remember teaching this concept at the church and I wrote a book called holy ambition that helps people going to go from an idea to discover their calling and put into practice. And so we went through that book together, and I remember a guy who had this passion because of his background to get coats for homeless people, and he started with three or four people in his family and then a small group and he shared it with a couple people and before long it was crazy. We had these big bands everywhere in thousands and thousands of coats to homeless people here in the bay area. I member a young gal who who really had had some struggles with mental health and and realize that other teenagers did in suicidal bots and all kind of stuff that people don't want to talk about and so she created this project and helped other people learn. Hey, it's not a stigma.

Here's what I want you to know when you discover your purpose when you discover what you're designed to do.

The greatest joy you'll ever experience is not what you get and it's not what other people think it's when God uses you to love other people in our next program working to talk about practical ways to learn exactly how he made you and how you can be a difference maker. Hope you be with me as we wrap up I want to say thanks to those who make this program possible through your generous financial support. Your gifts help us create programs purchase airtime and develop additional resources to help Christians live like Christians though if you've been blessed by the ministry of Living on the Edge. Would you consider sending a gift today.

You can call us at AAA 83336003.

Tap the donate button or donate online at http://livingontheedge.org your support is greatly appreciated will be sure to join us next time. When she wraps up his series discover your true self. Until then, this is Dave thanks for listening to this Edition of Living on the Edge